


all by myself

by BookRockShooter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), rated for language, this movie hurt me a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 14:58:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14875944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookRockShooter/pseuds/BookRockShooter
Summary: Rocket is reminded how horrible loneliness feels.-**contains IW spoilers! read with caution!**





	all by myself

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me, I have yet to improve at making titles lmaoo
> 
> I saw Infinity War last month and while literally every death had me sobbing in my seat, the Guardians' deaths fucked me up the most because I realized that Rocket is now completely alone again and so I wrote this short little thing to deal I guess?? Even though it's just Rocket being sad?? Haha y ikes-
> 
> Anyway yes I hope any readers enjoy (??) this short thing. This is just how I imagine Rocket finding out about the Guardians. I wanted to wrote more - like him actually grieving - but nothing I wrote seemed,, right, so I just left it at this lol
> 
> Happy (not really lmao) reading!!

Rocket doesn’t know how long he sits there on the ground, staring at the dust that used to be Groot. He occasionally reaches a paw out to touch it, but then flinches away and just continues staring. It seems impossible that just awhile ago, he and Groot were having the times of their lives with the other Guardians – their family – and now. . . Groot’s just. . . gone. How the hell had things gone to shit so fast?

He’s still sitting beside Groot’s remains when footsteps sound behind him, but he doesn’t bother turning around to see who it is. He hopes that makes whoever it is go away.

“Ah, small rabbit. I was wondering where you were. Come, we must go join the other so we can. . . discuss our next plans. Where–?” Thor pauses, presumably due to realizing that Rocket is currently in the middle of mourning his oldest friend. “Oh. Is that. . . your tree friend?”

“Fuck off,” Rocket says, but it comes out in a sob, and he can’t even shake off the hand that lands on his back in a comforting pat.

“I’m sorry,” Thor says, sounding truly upset. Rocket just sniffles. “Several others seem to have. . . had the same thing happen to them. I know it’s painful, but please, we must get back. We need to try and contact your crew, see if they’re safe.”

Rocket doesn’t really want to go anywhere, but he knows that sitting and staring at dust isn’t going to do any good. Besides, Thor has a point; he needs to find his team. He stands with Thor, finally ready to leave, but at the last second, a crazy hope pulls at his heart. He leans down, grabs a handful of dust, and shoves it into his pocket.

Thor’s staring at him in confusion, and Rocket doesn’t owe him anything, but Thor’s been nothing but nice to him during this entire shit-show, so Rocket sighs before speaking. “Groot- Groot died before, sometime last year. . . all that was left of him afterwards was a buncha sticks. . . I took one and it ended up growing and becoming Groot again, basically. I. . . I know this is a long shot, but. . .” Rocket lets out a watery laugh and wipes his eyes. “I need something to keep me going, y’know?”

The god doesn’t seem at all bothered by Rocket’s explanation, just sad, and Rocket doesn’t like it, but at least the guy isn’t looking at him in disgust or laughing his ass off at Rocket’s dumbass hope. “I understand, small rabbit. Now, we need to go. Come.”

Rocket spares one last glance to Groot’s remains, trying his hardest to ignore the grief clawing away at his insides. Finally, he turns and follows Thor back to the others.

-

The weird guy who kept occasionally turning green is the one who reveals that there were other people who were trying to fight Thanos in different ways. He only says one name – Tony Stark – before Thor and the other blond guy, the one who looks like he hasn’t shaved in way too long, demand to know where the hell he is. Green guy stammers that he went on an alien ship to save some doctor, so after begging some distressed-looking girl to help them find said alien ship, she agrees, and they begin using their weirdly advanced Terra technology to do so. Rocket wants to pay attention, mostly because a lot of the tech actually looks really interesting, but he can’t focus. He keeps one paw in the pocket that holds the dust, touching it to remind him that it’s there.

After a while, they figure out that the ship Tony Stark took is on some planet named Titan, apparently the home planet of the purple bastard that killed Groot. Rocket growls at the mention of him, startling a few people, but Thor isn’t at all fazed; he simply announces that he’ll leave right away to go get anyone on the planet. Right before his magical axe sends him off, he turns to Rocket and grips his shoulder. Rocket just eyes him warily.

“I’ll look for your crew. I promise,” he says, real eye sparking with determination (the fake one Rocket gave him literally sparks, for some reason).

Rocket nods. “Okay. Thank. . . thank you.”

Then Thor’s off in a flash of rainbow light, leaving them behind.

Rocket stares ahead at the wall, ignoring the conversation around him, until Thor returns a few minutes later, people in tow. Rocket turns eagerly, hoping that the Guardians are all still there, but instead he’s just greeted with some older human guy and Gamora’s sister Nebula, for some reason. He practically feels his face fall, but then shakes his head. He tells himself that they’re probably still in Knowhere, waiting everything out like the bastards they are.

Then he meets Nebula’s gaze. She looks at him, and Rocket’s horrified to realize that she actually looks like she’s been emotionally destroyed.

“What happened?” he demands instantly, racing towards her. He glares at her, panic rising in him quickly. “Goddammit, you cyborg, what the hell happened? Where are they?”

Nebula doesn’t look like she’s about to speak any time soon, so the guy she came with – he’s probably Tony Stark, Rocket reasons – answers instead.

“They’re gone,” he says, voice numb. He’s currently sitting with Thor, Green Guy, an older black guy, and the scruffy blond. “Just. . . turned to dust. All of them. Fucking collapsed right in front of us and then disintegrated. It. . . Jesus Christ, it was horrifying.” Older guy and Green Guy are then wrapping their arms around him, and Tony Stark is suddenly crying, horrible noises tearing their way out of his throat.

Rocket sits, stunned. All of them? There was no way. There was no fucking way everyone he’d grown to love had all died, practically in the same moment. That kind of bad luck didn’t happen, not ever.

He looks at Nebula, desperation making his voice choked. “Oh god, please tell me that- that they somehow survived. They- they can’t be gone, they wouldn’t leave me like this, they- they can’t–”

Nebula shakes her head. “They turned to dust, like Stark says. Gamora, though. . .” The look in her eyes becomes murderous. “Thanos murdered her with his bare hands.”  
Rocket suddenly notices he’s shaking, and he falls to the floor, hardly able to understand what’s being said. The Guardians. They’re. . . they’re all gone. Quill, Gamora, Drax, Mantis. . . Groot. . .

“Fuck. . . what the fuck. . .” Rocket mutters, then belatedly realizes that he’s sobbing again.

A familiar hand soon finds its way back to his back, only this time, it offers soothing strokes and not comforting pats. Thor tries his best to help him calm down, saying things like _“I’m sure they died fighting”_ and _“your crew- your friends were heroes”_ and _“I’m so sorry,”_ but Rocket barely hears any of it over his own anguished cries.

He forgot how awful it feels to be so utterly alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so again, this is short (and kinda bad but oh well-) but hopefully any readers actually liked this lol
> 
> Come cry with me over IW on my tumblr if you want - bookrockshooter
> 
> Wow I can't wait for the Guardians to come back to life and reunite in Avengers 4 bc it's definitely going to happen yep
> 
> Anyway, again, hope y'all enjoyed!


End file.
